Before purchasing a plant, you need to know the light conditions it needs. The amount of light in the rooms depends on the size of the windows and their location. It is most advantageous to have windows facing southeast and southwest. Plants on such windows will be illuminated in the morning and almost all day. Windows facing south are better lit in winter, but in spring and summer they get very hot, so in the afternoon it is better to shade the plants on them, except for the most sun-loving ones (adeniums, pachypodium, etc.).
Windows facing west and east are illuminated almost equally, only at different times of the day and require virtually no shading. For some reason, many people have a strange attitude towards northern windows, some even believe that it is generally impossible to grow plants on them, this is not so. There are a huge number of plants (we will list some below) that grow well on northern windows; moreover, there are cases when cacti were grown on northern windows (and they are known to be light-loving), and they not only grew well, but even bloomed.
How more windows, the more light the plants receive; the closer to the window the plants are located, the better their lighting. Regardless of the location of the windows, you should not shade them with thick curtains (if the description of the plant talks about shading, then a tulle curtain is enough for this, or a mosquito net if the plant is on the windowsill).
Lighting at different times of the year
Very important point: at different times of the year the intensity of solar illumination in our windows is different, so the whole year can be divided into two periods, for middle zone Russia:
- From March to August, i.e. spring-summer - during these months all plants grow intensively, and most bloom. During this period, the sun can be very aggressive, and all the following recommendations for content, or rather compliance various plants cardinal directions are given precisely for this period. If we're talking about about shading, this only applies to spring and summer.
- From September to February: period of passive sun, daylight hours are greatly reduced, the sun is low, plants naturally want to slow down their growth. But the problem is that they only “want”, “desire”, some “dream” - but usually they cannot, due to the fact that the temperature at home remains quite high due to the heating being on. Therefore, plants continue to grow (in the range of 14°C and above), but due to lack of light they become stretched and deformed. During this period, almost any plants can be safely placed without shading on the sunniest windowsill. They are not afraid of the sun on the southern window, because it shines rarely, short and the rays are slanting.
North windows
There are many beautiful houseplants that require indirect light and are therefore well suited to being placed in or close to a north-facing window. Flowering plants of the northern window include Saintpaulia, or Uzambara violet, exotic Scherzer anthurium hybrids, cyclamen, Kalanchoe. Suitable for this and hybrid species begonias, such as Begonia Lorrain. If there is enough space on the windowsill, then you can place on it an unpretentious but beautifully flowering passion flower, which, although light-loving, will also bloom on the northern window (after flowering it is cut off). Most bromeliads will also grow well in a north-facing window. Near the window you can place some palm trees, for example, a beautiful howea or Lorera date. On a north window, it is worth taking into account the temperature difference, i.e. Plants located in warmer rooms usually need more water than plants in cooler rooms.
Plants for the north window
South windows
Growing plants on a southern window is more troublesome than on a northern one, since few plants will withstand prolonged exposure to direct sun rays. Often, during the hottest time of the day, you will have to create shading, in the form of a gauze or tulle curtain. This is inconvenient because when you are at work, there is no one to do this and the plants may suffer.
Therefore, you need to especially carefully select plants for the windowsill of a south window. Only the most resistant plants that need sun, such as cacti and other succulents, passionflower, etc., can be placed on the windowsill itself. If you read in the recommendations for caring for a plant that it loves light, but needs shading, then place it on a table near the south window under the protection of a tulle curtain. Such a place is ideal for such decorative deciduous flowers that need bright but diffused light, for example, ficus, arrowroot, myrtle, chamerops, cissus, coleus, hoya
Plants for the south window
All of the plant examples given are designed for the plant to be placed on a windowsill and not in a room.
And also for those who focus not on the cardinal directions, but on the illumination of the room:
Light, without direct sunlight (window sill, where direct sunlight does not fall, or a place near a very bright window):
Azalea, anthurium, asparagus, royal begonia, bromeliads, grapes, dizygotheca, dieffenbachia, zygocactus, columnea, monstera, peperomia, pilea, ivy, spathiphyllum, scindapsus, philodendron, fuchsia, chlorophytum, cyclamen, schefflera.
Direct sun occasionally (window sill or place in close proximity to an east or west window):
Sunny window (window sill of a south window or a place in close proximity to it).
Most indoor plants do not like sun. The direct midday rays pose a particular danger to them, therefore, on those facing south sunny windows plants often look flabby, and the result of scorching sunbathing sometimes they become brown spots and dried areas on leaves and flowers.
Anyone who looks through books on houseplant families will quickly find an explanation for this: most of our green friends come from the lower tiers of tropical rainforests, where they cannot penetrate through the dense crowns tall trees scorching rays of the sun. And like their “wild” counterparts, accustomed to growing in twilight under the canopy of virgin forests, our indoor plants also prefer shaded from direct sunlight, although bright places. However, for an amateur indoor floriculture, who has at his disposal a large south window, you should not abandon it immediately. There are a number of very spectacular inhabitants of sun-drenched steppes, deserts, semi-deserts, thorn bushes and other similar natural conditions zones that are just waiting to take their place on the south window.
At correct selection sun loving plants the south window may be filled with flowers during all year round. You should only remember that here, on the south side, you need to pick up a watering can more often than on windows facing other sides of the world. Most water needs sun loving plants, it goes without saying, is quite high; exceptions to this rule are some drought-resistant plants, such as most members of the rich cactus family, many other succulents and unpretentious sansevieria.
For many of the plants named below, the sun is a real elixir of life, necessary not only for normal growth and development, but also for the formation of buds. On windows shaded from the sun, expect them to lush flowering useless. In addition, many ornamental foliage plants with beautifully colored leaves appear in all their splendor only in the sun. Some can do quite well without the scorching rays of the sun, while developing normally.
Lovers of indoor plants, preferring climbing, climbing and hanging plants, they contain magnificently blooming bougainvilleas, which, like real children of the south, simply need the sun. Equal to it in beauty and splendor of flowering is passionflower, whose spectacular, original-shaped flowers almost always become the main decoration of a south-facing window. The third representative of vines that coolly resists the scorching rays of the sun is the fleshy hoya or wax ivy (Hoya Carnosa). Its large-flowered counterpart, Stephanotis floribunda, has the same advantages.
Of the upright plants, sunny windows display the bright colors of their flowers: hippeastrum and clivia, Kalanchoe, beloperone, bellflower (Campanula isophylla) with drooping shoots, variegated abutilons and parmannias.
Somewhat more than just spectacular backdrops, there is a whole range of decorative foliage plants: cyperus, chamerops and trachycarpus (Trachycarpus), coleus (Coleus), reeds and evergreen myrtle, which after a few years dresses in a luxurious outfit of fragrant white flowers, and also - guzmania, bright red crassula, echeveria, hybrid epiphyllum, Sprenger's asparagus, echmea, billbergia, hemanthus, hibiscus.
Most indoor plants do not like sun. Direct midday rays pose a particular danger to them, so plants often look flabby on south-facing sunny windows, and scorching sunbathing sometimes results in brown spots and dried areas on leaves and flowers.
Anyone who looks through books on families of indoor plants will quickly find an explanation for this: most of our green friends come from the lower tiers of tropical rain forests, where the scorching rays of the sun cannot penetrate through the dense crowns of tall trees. And like their “wild” counterparts, accustomed to growing in twilight under the canopy of virgin forests, our indoor plants also prefer shaded from direct sunlight, although bright places.
However, a lover of indoor floriculture who has a large south window at his disposal should not immediately abandon it. There are a number of very spectacular inhabitants of sun-drenched steppes, deserts, semi-deserts, thorn bushes and other zones with similar natural conditions, which are just waiting for the moment to take a place on the southern window. With the right selection of sun-loving plants, a south window can be filled with blooms all year round. You should only remember that here, on the south side, you need to pick up a watering can more often than on windows facing other sides of the world.
The water requirement of most sun-loving plants is, of course, quite high; The exception to this rule is some drought-tolerant plants, such as most members of the rich cactus family, many other succulents, and the hardy Sansevieria. For many of the plants named below, the sun is a real elixir of life, necessary not only for normal growth and development, but also for the formation of buds. On windows shaded from the sun, it is useless to expect lush flowering from them. In addition, many ornamental foliage plants with beautifully colored leaves appear in all their splendor only in the sun. Some can do quite well without the scorching rays of the sun, while developing normally.
Lovers of indoor plants, who prefer climbing, climbing and hanging plants, have here magnificently flowering bougainvilleas, which, like real children of the south, simply need the sun. Equal to it in beauty and splendor of flowering is passionflower, whose spectacular, original-shaped flowers almost always become the main decoration of a south-facing window. The third representative of vines that coolly resists the scorching rays of the sun is the fleshy hoya or wax ivy (Hoya Carnosa). Its large-flowered counterpart, Stephanotis floribunda, has the same advantages. Of the upright plants, sunny windows display the bright colors of their flowers: hippeastrum and clivia, Kalanchoe, beloperone, equal-leaved bell (Campanula isophylla) with drooping shoots, variegated abutilons and parmannias. Somewhat more than just spectacular backdrops, there is a whole range of decorative foliage plants: cyperus, chamerops and trachycarpus (Trachycarpus), coleus (Coleus), reeds and evergreen myrtle, which after a few years dresses in a luxurious outfit of fragrant white flowers, and also - guzmania, bright red crassula, echeveria, hybrid epiphyllum, Sprenger asparagus, echmea, billbergia, hemanthus, hibiscus.
Indoor plants for south windows
What plants can be recommended for southern windows? Primarily various cacti and most succulents. Among the large number of different euphorbias, you can simply choose a plant to suit your own taste. South windows Almost all representatives of the amaryllis family - hippeastrum, amaryllis, clivia, nerina - light-loving plants. They bloom in late winter or spring-autumn on a south-facing window. But almost all bulbous plants can bloom well on northern windows in the spring if they stood on the balcony or in the garden in the summer and autumn. Most flowering plants Buds appear only in good lighting. Pelargoniums, balsams, fuchsias bloom on the south window in early spring and bloom until late autumn. Anthuriums on the northern window may never bloom or bloom only in summer, but on the southern window they delight with flowers all winter. Hibiscus blooms only in good light. Loves the sun, hoya, jasmine. Of the orchids, you can keep cattleya on the south window; it loves bright light. Of the decorative deciduous plants, all variegated species need good lighting. They can be moved to the south window for autumn-winter-spring, and with the onset of heat they can be moved to the most shaded space. Unpretentious chlorophytum, sansevieria will survive on any.
FOR SOUTH WINDOW
To answer this question, let's first define what is meant by “southern windows”. These windows include well-lit, sunny places, without drafts. If there are any in your home, then this information will be exclusively for you.
When placing indoor plants on south-facing windows, it is worth considering the main rule. Heat-loving plants that love the sun and cannot tolerate strong humidity and cold grow well on southern windows.
Now we just have to determine what types of indoor plants can be placed on south windows.
Of course, first of all, these are the “kings of thorny plants” - everyone’s favorite cacti. There are a huge number of their species. Blooming, fluffy, with long or short leaves, with long or short needles... In the sun, all cacti will feel at ease, as if they were planted in the sultry Mexican desert. These thorny plants do not require careful care, they do not need frequent watering, and they take root well in warm and damp places.
If you want to surprise your guests with exotic indoor plants, then it is better to place a homemade citrus tree on your south window. It could be lemon or tangerine. But to make these plants delight you and your friends, you will have to work hard. The fact is that citrus plants very capricious, they are like people, they require attention and care. They love constant feeding with fertilizers, which has even earned them a special nickname from home gardeners - “glutton plant.” Citrus fruits should be fed once a week, alternating mineral and organic fertilizers. Also, the plant does not like the smell of tobacco, so even if you place it on a south-facing window and smoke above the plant, it will not be able to survive in such conditions. But if you create a favorable environment for citrus fruits, they will not only give you their pretty fruits, but will also saturate the air in the room with a wonderful aroma.
All types of palm trees also take root on southern windows. I was convinced myself that palm trees grow well on these windows. About three years ago I planted an ordinary date seed in a pot, and it sprouted. This plant stood on my south window, in a fairly warm and dry place, enjoying the sun's rays and infrequent watering. And what do you think? Today on my windowsill there is a date palm with beautiful green, sharp leaves. I want to say that not everything was very smooth in caring for the palm tree. One summer, I decided to move my plant to the balcony, whose windows also faced the south. It was in June, the days were warm. Only after a couple of days I noticed that the leaves of my palm tree began to turn yellow and even brown. The reason for this was the cool temperature at night. Even on glassed balcony on the south side of the windows my plant began to die. So, if you place your indoor palm tree on a south-facing window, never allow low temperatures.
Except date palm, on southern windows you can grow decorative coconut, areca, trachycarpus, caryota and many other types of palm trees.
Who else is a fan of southern windows among plants? Chinese rose, a flower of extraordinary beauty. It is also called hibiscus. The Chinese rose has a very beautiful flowers various shades: pink, purple, white, lilac. At favorable conditions Such plants reach as much as three meters in height! If you plant a rose cutting in a pot, within a year it will give you the first flower. The Chinese rose loves the sun, but does not tolerate direct sunlight, which can burn its leaves. Therefore, when placing a plant on a south window, it is better to place it not directly by the window, but in the second row. There the plant will be most comfortable.
For the second row on the south window, begonias, camellias, indoor jasmine and oleander are also suitable.
I hope, given these tips, your southern windows will turn into stunningly beautiful flower beds that will delight the eyes of your household and bring great joy to your home.
